1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method, apparatus and system for calibrating a liquid dispensing system, and more particularly to a method, apparatus and system for accurately calibrating, auditing and controlling dilution of a liquid product dispensed from a liquid dispensing system during installation and over the operational life of the dispensing system.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many cleaning and sanitizing processes, whether laundering, warewashing or the like, have as a significant portion of their operating costs the expense of the formulated aqueous products they use. Furthermore, the effectiveness of most, if not all, cleaning and sanitizing processes is inextricably linked to supplying a calibrated or measured amount of a formulated aqueous product to the process. Too little product can impair the effectiveness of a cleaning and/or sanitizing process. Too much product can result in significant waste and adds unnecessary operating expenses to a business. For example, hospitality businesses such as hotels, hospitals, restaurants, and the like use liquid detergents and cleaning solutions for laundry and warewashing. These processes require proper formulation of the solutions to prevent waste and increase the effectiveness of the cleaning and sanitizing process. To achieve these objectives, many efforts have been made to calibrate, control and measure the dilution and delivery of concentrated liquid products during set-up and over the operational lifecycle of the dispenser. Current calibration and auditing techniques for a dispenser require the use of graduated liquid collection devices or scales, and multiple iterations of testing to calculate a dilution ratio to properly calibrate and audit the dispenser. These processes also often directly expose the individual conducting the calibration or audit to concentrated chemicals
The present invention addresses these problems and provides for an apparatus, method and system for quickly connecting a flow meter in-line to a liquid input of a dispenser for communicating liquid flow data to a controller for displaying a dilution ratio for accurately calibrating and auditing a liquid dispensing system.
In addition, the present invention addresses the real-time monitoring of liquid product dispensing, including the rate, volume, calibration and auditing of the liquid product being dispensed to insure the correct dilution ratio is consistently being achieved.
The present invention also addresses the use of real-time and historical liquid flow data, whether raw or processed, for assessing current and future use of the dispenser, liquid product effectiveness, and business decisions relating to a dispensing account.